Course Correction
by Kierielle Huntington
Summary: Cornelius tells Franny what the Fork-Finder has revealed about Wilbur's future and they are forced to deliberate what course of action they should take. After all, tinkering with the future is far more serious than frogs in the cabinet. A set-up oneshot for The Fork-Finder, but also a fluffy Cornelius/Franny piece.


_{Meet the Robinsons belongs to Disney.}_

 **A/N:** This piece is a little set-up scene for The Fork-Finder. I watched _Meet the Robinsons_ a few days ago and I realized anew how much I wish we had more Cornelius/Franny interaction. I just imagine them having a very playful, banter-y, intuitive type of relationship and I wanted to explore that. :)

* * *

"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," Franny said when she made it to the top of the observatory stairs.

"Really?" Cornelius looked up from a small device he was working on and turned to face her.

"Well, the grown-up you," she amended with an affectionate smirk. She raised a brow before she walked over and wrapped her husband in a tight hug. "It was so weird seeing you as a kid again."

"I bet." Cornelius grunted, still in the hug. "What are we going to do with that boy?"

"Go talk to him," Franny murmured.

Cornelius sighed tightly, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "What on earth do I say? Wilbur knows better than to mess around with time streams. I talked to Carl – there was an over ninety-nine percent chance of time never getting back to this point."

A shadow flitted over Franny's face but cleared in a steady blink. "Honey, he's only in junior high."

Cornelius visibly paled. "Oh, my...we're going to have a high schooler next year! What if this isn't a stage?"

"You know, when I was in middle school I went through a stage where I would make fully-furnished music rooms for my frogs in the kitchen cabinets..." Franny began.

"Honey, this is nothing like making fully-furnished rooms - "

"For frogs."

" - for frogs, in kitchen cabinets," Cornelius finished, trying not to smile at her expression. This was an incredibly serious situation, after all.

"But the point is, I outgrew it."

"No, you didn't! You simply upgraded from cabinets to entire real rooms for your frogs."

"Okay, that's true," she relented, a warm little smile playing across her face. "And you're right - we can't keep making excuses for him. He is heir to our Robinson Industries, after all."

"I'm serious, Franny."

"I know." She looked up at the observatory's glass ceiling and swallowed. "I know."

"I should have..." Cornelius took off his glasses and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I should've talked to him earlier. Hubris, you know..."

Franny looked at her husband sideways. "What did you see?"

"Hmm?"

"You finished it, didn't you? The Fork-Finder? The device that is supposed to show every possible future in a scenario?"

Cornelius did smile then. He put his glasses back on and nodded. "Yes. And you're right - "

"Of course I'm right."

Despite the stark possibilities he had seen via the Fork-Finder, Cornelius chuckled. "- of course." Then his smile slid away and was replaced by a grim expression.

He explained what he had seen: by the tender age of twenty-one, Wilbur would either become a co-CEO at Robinson Industries...or have singularly (though not intentionally) brought about the Robinson family's downfall.

This time, Franny turned pale.

"But," she finally said, as her forehead crinkled in thought, "those are the only two possibilities?"

"Oddly, yes."

"Then we can figure out how to prevent the...the downfall scenario, right?"

"I don't know. I think if Wilbur saw it himself he wouldn't let it happen."

"Well...maybe the answer has been staring at us the whole time."

"Then what is it?"

"The frogs' music rooms in the cabinets," Franny concluded triumphantly.

Cornelius gave her a questioning look.

"No, what I mean is, I used cabinets until I realized that it was more constructive to use real rooms. Maybe we need to give him more responsibility."

"Okay, I see where you're going with this, but honey, you really need a different analogy. You didn't use real rooms until you were an adult," he pointed out.

"That's because I didn't have the opportunity until I was an adult," she countered.

Cornelius rolled his eyes in an exaggeration fashion and Franny smirked.

"My point is, you should let him see the scenarios for himself."

"That was your point? Your analogy is working less and less."

She gave him a light shove.

"Ow! No, no, I like your idea. I think you're right." He rubbed his shoulder in mock pain. "I just think that was an absolutely terrible analogy."

"Well, as long as you think I'm right."

"Aren't you always?"

"Yes - but it feels good to be appreciated."

He smiled, this time without the tightness. "You are always appreciated."

She mirrored his smile. "And so are you. Should I go tell Wilbur to meet you up here?"

Cornelius took a deep breath. "Sure. The more I think of it, I think it may be our best option. The only thing is, I have a meeting with Alexander Meterson in half an hour. Should we postpone it?"

"Well, maybe it would be better if we sent Wilbur with Carl either way."

"With _just_ Carl?" Cornelius didn't look convinced.

"It might be easier for him to understand the gravity of the situation if we're not right by his side."

"As long as Carl drives," he conditioned.

"Definitely. That's a non-negotiable." She nodded. "Honey, you know, he is a good kid."

"I know, Franny. He's a wonderful kid. A little over-confident, that's all." He squeezed her hand.

She kissed his nose and went to find Wilbur.

 **...MTR...**

Franny found her son in the hall.

Sometimes he seemed so much older than thirteen.

Then other times he seemed like he was just thirteen - just a little kid.

Times like now.

He sat in the hall that had her music room, his back to a wall. He was ricocheting a small ball - his signature lightning bolt on its rubber surface - against the opposite wall with impressive accuracy, but his gaze was lost. Blank.

"Wilbur?"

He jerked out of his revere but didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Your father wants to talk to you in the observatory."

Wilbur visibly paled - it seemed to be a family trait - and when he finally looked up at her, she gave him a firm but encouraging smile. "Go on."

"Okay, Mom," he said, barely above a whisper. He got up, gave her a nod, and trudged toward the observatory.

Franny was surprised he went without a fight, but then again, after everything that had happened, maybe he just wanted to get this conversation with his father over and done with.

She hoped she and Cornelius were right.

She hoped this field trip cemented the good possible future and erased the bad.

Their baby couldn't be their downfall.

* * *

 **Review! I _love_ your feedback, guys! :) **


End file.
